Kaimana in Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia offers one of the last frontiers of marine biodiversity on earth – and features a very special Highlight. The unique symbiosis between fishermen and the ocean’s gentle giants makes Trion Bay one of Indonesia’s best sites to Dive with whalesharks.
Triton Bay, a pristine destination, unspoiled by development or mass tourism, has some of the stunning sites for divers willing to take a liveaboard. Seldom dived, the bay around Kaimana and offers divers unrivaled beauty and wonder with its unique habitats, limestone formations, excellent muck diving, a variety of soft corals and the highest recorded biomass in Indonesia – all with the backdrop of Papua’s wild and lush jungle.
Odd Friendship
Kaimana fishermen have known and respected the water giants for a long time before the area became a point of interest for Divers and Freedivers. Local fishermen use self-made floating platforms called ‘bagans’ to both live and work in. Bagans look like a massive wooden float-boat with vast nets stretched along its perimeter. At night the nets are unrolled and lowered deep in the water whilst large projectors scattered along the edges of the platform are lit up to attract big schools of baitfish. The Whale sharks usually come in the morning, along with the bigger pelagic fish, for leftovers from the nights catch for an easy meal.
Humans and animals grew to respect each other here, whale sharks bring good luck to the fishermen in return for a delicious treat. Partially a preventive measure to avoid the filching of nets but mostly a matter of superstition, fishermen feed the whale sharks, appearing, as if on cue, at first light with scraps of small fish. Locals believe whale sharks to be a token signifying good fortune and a great catch.
Whale Sharks, the largest known fish, do indeed bring good fortune. One of the latest examples of their known positive karma is they are now bringing in an influx of tourists, benefiting the local community.
These gentle giants receive their rewards directly from the fishermen or they use their powerful mouths to suck bait from the holes in the nets, hovering just beneath the surface of the water. They often feed in a herd, sharing meals with their mates and companion, making it a perfect scene for a prolonged close encounter with these tropical sharks. These timely feasts are one of the few chances where scientific observers, whale shark admirers and everyone in between can encounter whale sharks in congregations.
Diving Kaimana and Triton Bay
Comprising more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia has always been known as one of the top-class world diving and cruising destinations. Often sought out by deep sea adventurers and liveaboard cruisers alike, this extremely diverse pocket of the world is a wonderland of land and sea.
However, despite Indonesia’s well-chartered waters, West Papua’s Kaimana in Triton Bay is one of the last frontiers of Indonesia. Triton Bay has long been known to have a year-round presence of whale sharks and an incredible amount of diverse micro and macro pelagic life, like the notable Manta Ray, Sea Turtle and Walking Shark. But this secret has only recently been discovered by the dive community and is now visited, but not often, by a handful of Liveaboard Yachts.
Even though Kaimana is now served by small passenger flights, this unique, hidden paradise offers a glimpse of the natural world before large-scale human intervention and the irresponsibility of mass tourism. Triton Bay is a divers paradise. This nutrient-rich bay supports a lush and colorful coral overlay attracting all manner of marine life. There are already 30 dive sites, and counting, including but not limited to Black forest, Little Komodo, Aquarium, Larry’s Heaven, Batu Jeruk, Batu Jatuh, Bo’s Rainbow and Disneyland. Triton Bay has the highest recorded biomass in Indonesia, therefore it is likely you will dive amongst the best Indonesia has to offer. Exposed rocks and seamounts support large and small schooling fish, colorful reefs blanketed with soft coral gardens and enormous black coral bushes forming picturesque undersea islands, soft slopes, sandy floors, pinnacles, caves, and caverns. This Bay also offers some fascinating macro and muck diving, featuring flasher wrasse, pygmy seahorses, the interesting and rarely seen walking shark and a plethora of colorful critters. Diving in West Papua’s Kaimana’s Triton Bay offers an unrivaled experience, second to none.
Cruise Raja Ampat and Triton Bay
Triton Bay can be experienced in a combination with a Boat Charter around Raja Ampat Islands and the coastline of West Papua. Cruising Raja Ampat and journeying to Kaimana on an Indonesian Phinisi boat offers not only a sailing trip on a historic craft but a chance to see some of the most fantastic scenery in the world, above and below the surface.
Because Raja Ampat has so many incredible dive sites, iconic marine life, viewpoints, and sandy beaches, there is a wide variety of ways you can schedule your trip to Triton Bay. A great sample itinerary would be to start your cruise in Waisai, the common entry point to Raja Ampat, and continue your voyage to Southern Misool and the sites along the Papuan Coast. This sample itinerary lets you traverse the Birds Head Seascape, the global epicenter of marine biology in the Coral Triangle, takes you Penemu, Misool, Daram Islands, Mommon and finally to Triton Bay.
Most liveaboard cruises to Triton Bay depart from Waisai and finish in Kaimana or vice versa. This particular route via Raja Ampat’s Misool is seldom cruised, taking great care to preserve the integrity of the local village life, land and seascape. Cruising Raja Ampat to Triton Bay promises to be unequalled experience in both beauty and adventure perfectly designed for a private charter accommodating divers of all kinds.
Getting to Triton Bay
For Cruise Departures from Kaimana, fly to Ambon from Jakarta, catching then your final flight to Utarum Airport in Kaimana. From Kaimana, followed by a short journey on a tender, you will embark the Yacht.
For Cruises embarking in Raja Ampat – Sorong or Waisai – take a flight from Jakarta to Sorong. from Jakarta it is easy to connect to all major hubs in the area, like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong or connect to flights from the US or Europe.
For Cruises embarking in Raja Ampat – Sorong or Waisai – take a flight from Jakarta to Sorong. from Jakarta it is easy to connect to all major hubs in the area, like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong or connect to flights from the US or Europe.
Book a Cruise to Triton Bay
Barefoot Yachts offers fully customized Cruising Liveaboards and Scuba Diving Charters into the remotest corners of the Indonesian Island Archipelago.
Head to Barefoot Yachts for more info, pricing and how to book.
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